Apocalypse: Surviving the Undead
by Lightning Wolf-Jager
Summary: Our favorite wolves get caught in the middle of a viral outbreak. The dead are rising, and these wolves will have to survive the apocalyptic world. Who will they meet along the way? And more importantly, will they survive?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone. Here is yet another story that managed to find it's way into my mind. Now, Before we begin, you should know that all characters in this story belong to their rightful owners. I am also not working on this alone. I am co-authoring this story with, Storylover Alpha 01- Dux Ducis, R0xas Alpha03, and P3MF-Richter. Also keep in mind that this is an Anthro story (I think that's the term). Humanoid wolves.

**Storylover:** Hello everyone.

**Me:** This story is going to be interesting.

**Storylover:** Interesting, and violent.

**Me:** Oh, there will be blood. Now on with the story!

* * *

><p><strong>Kate's PoV<strong>

My name is Kate. I'm seventeen, and I'm a Junior attending Lemoore High School In southern California. I live with my dad Winston, my mother Eve, and my younger sister Lilly. I was attractive by most wolves' standards, as was my sister. I was currently at home with Lilly while our parents were at the supermarket buying groceries. It was the middle of spring break, and we had quickly fallen into the routine of sitting on the couch watching TV. We were watching Man vs. Wild on the discovery channel when I heard Lilly's stomach growl. I laughed.

"You hungry?" Lilly nodded in reply. I stood up and strolled into the kitchen, noticing my own hunger. I looked through the pantry and surveyed all the different foods we had in stock. Doritos? No. Wheat thins? Nah. 'Nilla Waffers? Not happening. I couldn't find anything to eat in the pantry, so I moved to the refrigerator. I opened the door and felt the cool air rush over my face. I continued my search and started running through the chilled contents of the frigde. Hmm... Ick! Miracle whip! I have no idea how my mom can stand that stuff. I prefer real mayo over this cheap replacement. I continued on and found something that caught my eye. BACON! I reached in and pulled out the sealed package that contained the delicious sliced pork. I walked back into the living room and offered up the package in question.

"How hungry," I inquired.

Lilly turned to me, "Kate, it's bacon! You and I both know that we will just want more and more bacon. It's unhealthy, but bacon is one of the best tasting foods in exsistence." I couldn't argue with her logic. We both loved bacon... A LOT! I popped open the yellow bag and put all of the strips in the microwave. Few wolves knew that you could cook bacon in the microwave. I closed the door, set the timer, and walked back into the living room. I was already anticipating the taste of the fattening, greasy, succulent strips of pork. The aroma carried into the living room, making both mine, and Lilly's mouths water. I rushed into the kitchen when I heard the beep of the microwave. I transferred the bacon to two paper plates, and distributed it evenly among the two plates. I counted out the strips. There were fifty in all. I walked back into the living room and handed one of the plates to Lilly. She stared at the bacon and smiled with an anticipatory grin. We both licked our lips and dug into the sliced ham. It may have been unhealthy, but a girl has to indulge herself sometimes.

We sat there eating bacon. It wasn't to crispy, nor to soft. Caught between the two zones in an area of perfect texture. The bacon was so good, that nothing detered us from devouring it. Not even when Bear Grylls ate a deer's eyeball. A few minutes passed, and we started to slow down. I only had a few pieces of bacon left on my plate so I started to slow down even more. We watched the show, nibbling on what was left of our bacon when an EAS message took over the screen. I groaned in frustration, and walked away in search of entertainment. That's when the broadcast started.

_-BZZZZZZZZZZZT-  
>-BZZZZZZZZZZZT-<br>-BZZZZZZZZZZZT-_

_-BEEEEEEEEEEEP-_

_"The following message is transmitted at the request of the United States Government. Attacks by the undead have been reported in several states across the country."_

I ran that sentence through my head over and over, but it didn't make any sense. Attacks by the undead? This was probably some kind of joke.

_"They include Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Southern California."_

The last state on the list scared me. What if this wasn't some kind of elaborate prank?

_"The dead are rising from their graves, and are attacking the wolf race. At this time it is expected that more attacks of this nature will occure in several other states in the next few hours. The intent behind their attack is unknown at this time. It has been observed that a bite or exchange of fluids is a method of transmission."_

This started sounding worse every second. There was a virus that reanimates the undead spreading throughout the country. This was by no means good.

_"If any of these things occur to you, you will turn into one of these creatures."_

Okay, more bad news...

_"This is an extremely dangerous situation, as they crave the taste of wolf flesh! To protect yourself from potential effects, all residents of the United States are strongly encouraged to follow these instructions."_

And they get to the useful part!

_"Stay away from these creatures!"_

You'd think that'd be a bit obvious. Then again, a zombie could be mistaken for a crackhead.

_"Get inside a building with few doors and windows. Do not make eye contact with them. Doing this will insight attack. Seek shelter in a room above, or below ground, preferably one that is blocked by several doors. Do not use any electrical devices, as this may attract them. Make sure you take food and water with you to your place of refuge. It is not known weather this event will last for hours, days, or even longer. Stay calm as authorites have been dispatched to deal with these creatures. An all clear siren will be sounded when this situation is under control._

_-Bzzzt-  
><em>_-Bzzzt-  
><em>_-Bzzzt-_

I stood there, frozen in fear. There had been several reports of strange, cannibalistic murders occuring in cities around the country. There had even been one in this very town, only a few miles from here. I shakily regained my composure and walked back into the living room. When I walked in I saw Lilly shaking with her knees drawn up to her chest. She was obviously terrified. Of course, I was too, but Lilly was more susceptible to fear because of her imagination. She turned towards me, tears threatening to break loose.

"What about Mom and Dad?" Oh Shit... I completely forgot about them. They were still out shopping, and they might not have heard the broadcast. I looked over to the bureau near the door. Their cell phones were still there, so I couldn't calll them.

I walked over to Lilly and put her in an embrace in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sure they're fine." I wasn't quite sure about that statement, but I had to keep my sister calm. The last thing I need is her dying of a heart attack. As soon as I got Lilly to calm down I headed up to my room to search for something. I started digging around in my closet, and found what I was looking for. I have a friend named Logan, who two years ago attended my birthday. For my birthday he gave me some of the latest survival-horror game and a small olive green metal box. I had loved the games, but didn't really know what the box was for. I pulled the box out of the closet, and dusted it off. In big red letters it read...

_Open in case of zombies._

I followed the instructions and popped the latches holding the lid closed. I looked in and pulled out an old piece of paper and unfolded it. There was writing on it.

_If you opened the box out of curiosity, and there are no zombies, put the box back how you found it.  
>However, if there are zombies, call the number below, and use the information provided.<em>

_Number: (559) 817-5457_

_Password 1: Zombie_

_Password 2: Apocalypse_

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number. After some ringing I heard a voice say, "_Input password now."_ I complied and put in the first password. After some more ringing it told me to enter the second password. I did so and was met by more monotonous ringing. I was finally met with a someone's voice.

"Hello?" It was Logan.

I spoke into the phone, "It's Kate, I opened the box." Logan sighed and I heard him move the phone away from his ear.

"Well, it appears that I have to leave. There are some matters that I have to attend to." I heard someone else speak on Logan's end, "Very well, Captain. We shall discuss what was left of this meeting next week." Logan was an cadet officer in the school's NJROTC program. The number of cadet's had grown so large that the members had to be split into two regiments. That gave Logan the availability to be promoted from Commander to Captain. I was also in program, but was only a second class petty officer. Logan had command over me because he had command over the regiment, which included my commanding officer. Logan must have been at a meeting with the Captain of the other regiment and some commanders. I heard some foot steps and a door closing.

"Is this for real, or did you ignore the letter entirely," Logan asked over the phone. I told him of the emergency broadcast. After a moment of thought he spoke again, "This isn't good. The government wouldn't issue a broascast like that unless they were certain that this class one outbreak would turn into a class two, and they might not be able to contain it." I was about to ask him what that meant when he continued, "You probably want to know what that means. In the box you will some other pieces of paper. They have references to outbreak classification." I set the phone down and rummaged through the box. I picked up two pieces of paper, and started reading.

_Class 1 outbreak_

_This is a low-level outbreak, usually in a Third World country or First World rural area. The number of zombies in this class of outbreak ranges between one and twenty. Total human casualties (including those infected) range from one to fifty. The total duration, from the first case to the last (known), will range between twenty-four hours and fourteen days. The infested area will be small, no larger than a twenty-mile radius. In many cases, natural boundaries will determine its limits. Response will be light, either exclusively civilian or with some additional help from local law enforcement. Media coverage will be light, if present at all. If the media is present, look for common stories like homicides or "accidents." This is the most common type of outbreak and also the easiest to go unnoticed._

Okay, that was class one, now for class two.

_Class 2 outbreak_

_Urban or densely populated rural areas are included in this level of outbreak. Total zombies will range between twenty and one hundred. Total human casualties may reach as high as several hundred. The duration of a Class 2 attack may last no longer than a Class 1 outbreak. In some cases, the larger number of zombies will spark a more immediate response. A rural, sparsely populated outbreak may extend to a hundred-mile radius, while an urban outbreak may encompass only several blocks. Suppression will almost certainly be organized. Bands of civilians will be replaced by local, state, even federal law enforcement. Look for an additional, if low-level, military response, the National Guard in the United States or its equivalent abroad. Most often, so as to ease panic, these units will take a more noncombatant role, providing medical assistance, crowd control, and logistical support. Class 2 outbreaks almost always attract the press. Unless the attack occurs in a truly isolated area of the world, or one where the media is strictly controlled, the story will be reported. This does not mean, however, that it will be reported accurately._

I finished reading the passage and picked up the phone again. I heard a car door slam. "I'm back. How do you know about this zombie stuff?"

Logan returned an answer, "I've been expecting something like this for quite awhile. First there was those strange murders, and missing people. Then some hospitalized patients started dying from an 'undetermined disease'. You didn't here about that last one because the government put a blackout on it. And that is the last hint to this outbreak. A total press blackout is rare in the United States. The occurrence of one should be regarded as an immediate red flag." I heard a car engine start up, it's dull thrum traveling through the phone.

I spoke once more, "What should I do?" There was a pause.

"Get Lilly. You're both going to need to here this." I went downstairs and managed to drag Lilly up the stairs. She had started crying a few minutes after I went upstairs. The tear stains were prominant in her light grey fur. I finally returned to the phone.

"What now?"

Logan started explaining what we should do, "Start packing. You may need to leave at a moments notice. Use something like a large backpack." I retrieved our backpacks, Lilly's was plain black, while my own was the blue digital camoflague satchel issued to some of the NJ cadets. "In the box is a list of stuff you will need." I retrieved and started reading the list.

_List of equipment_

_Backpack_

_Dependable hiking boots (already broken in) _

_Two pairs of socks _

_Wide-mouthed, quart-sized water bottle _

_Water-purification tablets*_

_Wind- and waterproof matches _

_Map** _

_Compass** _

_Small flashlight (AAA battery) with coated lens _

_Small signaling mirror _

_Bedroll or sleeping bag (both will be too cumbersome) _

_Sunglasses (polarized lenses)_

_Palm-sized first-aid kit*_

_Swiss Army knife or multi-tool _

_Hand-held radio with earpiece** _

_Knife _

_Binoculars** _

_Primary firearm_

_Fifty rounds (if in a group, thirty per person)_

_Cleaning kit** _

_Secondary firearm_

_Back-up firearm _

_Hand weapon (preferably, a machete)_

_Signal flares** _

_*not necessary in groups _

_**need be carried by only one person if in a group  
>In addition, all groups should carry:<em>

_Silent ballistic weapon (preferably a silenced firearm or crossbow)_

_Extra ammunition for fifteen kills (if weapon differs from standard firearm) _

_Telescopic sight _

_Medium-sized medical kit _

_Two-way radio with headphones _

_Crowbar (in lieu of hand weapon)_

_Water-purification pump_

Lilly and I started gathering the equipment. After a period of 30 minutes we finally got everything except for the firearms packed. We didn't have any weapons in the house. I returned my ear to the phone. "We have everything packed."

"Good. Now look in the box and take out the two black cases you find in there. Open them." Lilly and I obeyed and took out the cases, which oddly enough, had our names on them. We opened the cases and found two semi-auto pistols. The slide on mine had an inscription. _'SIG SAUER P226-ED'. _I looked over at Lilly's weapon and the slide read _'GLOCK 17C-4th Gen.'. _Logan started speaking again, "I want you to disassemble and reassemble those weapons until you know how to do so blindfolded. Then I want you to do it blindfolded until you know every single part of it by heart. I have to hang up for now. I will call you back in the morning to check your progress."

I was about to start my assigned task when something crossed my mind. "Wait," I shouted into the phone.

"First of all, OW! I'm wearing and earbud, so that was loud. Second, What," returned the pained Logan.

"What about Humphrey?"

"And Garth," piped Lilly. I didn't think Lilly was going to talk at all. There was silence and some faint chuckling could be heard from the other end.

"I'm way ahead of you. I already picked up Humphrey, and Garth's house is in view. They will be staying with me and my uncle until this potential crisis dies away, or it escelates. I have to go now. I'm going to have to explain to Tony what is going on." With that there was a beep signifying that Logan hung up. I looked over at Lilly who seemed to be a bit relieved. We started our task of disassembling the guns and looked at the instructions. After a few tries I could do it without the instructions. I knew a bit about guns because I was on the school's rifle team. An NJ only thing. By the time my parents got home, I could dissasemble it in thrity seconds, and reassemble it in about the same time. Lilly on the otherhand wasn't as good as me with guns. She could disassemble her Glock in about a minute, and reassemble it in about forty-five seconds. We were making progress.

I had just finished assembling my Sig Sauer when my dad walked into the room. He stared at the weapons in our hands, and immediatly started asking questions. He asked stuff like, _"Are you in a gang"_, and _"How long have you had these."_ My mom finally broke in and stopped dad from asking questions.

"Winston dear, they might actually need these weapons."

My dad try to fight back, "B-b-b-b-but Eve, these guns are dangerous!"

"I'm sure that Kate is more than capable of handling a weapon. She's on the school firing squad, and was taught by that smart boy, Cadet Captain... ugh... Cadet Captain Weese." My mom did not favor mine and Humphrey's relationship. She kept trying to get me to go out with other Alphas. She even asked Logan to take me out to dinner once, and he declined saying _"Kate is a friend of mine and I respect her wishes. If she wishes to date Humphrey, so be it. I have my eyes set on other prizes. I must leave now, as you know, Kate and I have rifle drills to run." _He told me about this while we were shooting and explained that he didn't have any interest in me, and had already set his sights on his own preferable target. I laughed at his pun, and went back to shooting. I was surpised that my mom didn't hurt him for declining. Maybe it was the fact that he had a loaded rifle in hand, or the fact that he actually knew how to fight. "And Lilly has Kate to teach her."

"But why would they need any guns," my father retorted.

"You and I both know that both our daughters are highly attractive. Every time I go to their school I see guys eyeballing them. They stand a much higher chance of being sexually harassed, or even raped." I frowned at that though. No guy with half a brain would think of raping me, or Lilly? One, there was out psycopathic mother. Two, no one would try it because, like Logan, I know how to fight. Three, they'd have to get through me to get to Lilly, which is not likely. "And if the girls didn't use these on their attackers, the boys had better hope that I don't find them."

My father sighed, knowing that he was defeated, but he had one question left, "Why do you have these guns, and where did you get them?"

We were about to explain when the broadcast came on again. After it finished Lilly and I both said, "That's why." Our parents just walked away trying to process the information. I didn't see them again 'till the next day.

Logan had called as he said he would. I got to talk to Humphrey, and Lilly got to talk to Garth. Logan gave us instructions to block all the windows and to stay as quiet as possible, as any noise attracts a zombie. I peeked out the window. The streets were barren and there was nothing living in sight for miles. I looked off into the distance and saw the military base where Logan lived with his uncle. That was where my boyfriend, friend, and sister's boyfriend were, in relative saftey from the undead.

A few more days passed, and Logan called stating that it was officialy a class 3 breakout. The next day Logan called telling us that Tony was dead. He had called them asking for knowledge on how to cure a zombie bite. Logan had simply said that there was no treatment, and hung up. Garth was devestated at the loss of his father. School had been closed down because of this viral outbreak. Another week passed, and I looked out to see several plumes of smoke rising not only from our town, but from the base as well. Another day passed and Logan said that we needed to leave the town. He said he would come get us when he had everything ready.

Another day passed and we were ready to leave. It was silent and starting to get hot. The power had cut out yesterday. We didn't even have TV. I heard a knocking on the front door. My father got up to answer it. He looked out the eyeglass, and started scratching his head. He opened the door and didn't see anything, at least not right away. Suddenly my father yelled in pain. I looked at his feet and saw a zombie on the ground, a crawler by Logan's standards, biting into my dad's shin. I grabbed my Sig Sauer of the bureau and loaded it. By now I could disassemble then reassemble it in fifteen seconds while blindfolded. My dad managed to shake the beast from his leg. I cocked back the hammer and loosed three rounds into the zombies skull. The zombie stopped moving almost immediatly. I looked over to my father who was bleeding heavily on the linoleum floor. I knew this wasn't good. It was only a matter of time before my father turned into one of them. I just sat there and watched as my father bled out, and slowly died. I couldn't bring myself to shoot him, even knowing that he was going to be a threat soon. My sense of denial kept me from shooting him, thinking that there was a way to stop him from turning.

When our dad finally passed away, Lilly grabbed the Glock and we went outside, leaving our mother to mourn. We stood outside listening to the calm of the wind. We heard a scream originate from behind us. We turned to see our father had turned and is now biting into our mother's throat. Lilly brought her gun up and tried to shoot out father, but couldn't bring herself to do it. After our he killed our mom, our undead father turned to us, and started shambling after us. We stood our ground and tried to shoot him, but out minds wouldn't let us. We started backing up as he approached. Lilly started running as I kept backing away slowly. As I was backing up I felt nothing underfoot and fell as I failed to notice the curb. I fell flat on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I started dragging my self backward, my undead father drawing closer. When he was a few steps away I closed my eyes preparing for the worst. I heard the sound of a car engine, but dismissed it as I was more worried about the immenent rending of my flesh. The noise continued to grow louder and closer. I opened my eyes to how close my infected father had become when a dark red car flew into my field of vision. I heard the screeching of the brakes as it started to skid sideways. The rear end of the car slammed into my dad, missing me by a narrow margin. My dad went flying as the car skidded to a stop, and the passenger side door opened. To my surprise Humphrey stepped out, and started running towards me. He knealt down beside me.

"You okay, Kate?" He stared at me waiting for an answer. I nodded my head and hugged him, the emotional stress of the early morning already starting to catch up with me. I heard two sharp _pop-crack_ so I turned my head to the source. I saw Logan standing a few feet away from my father, holding a Glock not unlike my sisters, that had smoke rising from the barrel. Logan walked into the house, supposedly to deal with me mother. I heard another sharp crack, signifying that my mother was dead and would not be returning. Logan walked back out of the house, and approached us.

Logan was tall, somewhere around six foot two, and he was fairly toned when it came to muscularity. What could one expect when he spent hours on end twirling and tossing a ten pound rifle? He was a mostly white wolf, with streaks of black on his upper arms, part of his lower arms, outer thighs, and a large streak going down his back. The fur on his head was short, less than one inch, and in a high & tight fashion, as was the NJ regulation for males. He had dark hazel/green eyes and a large crescent shaped scar under his left eye. He was wearing a plain black short sleeved shirt that hugged his arms, plain denim jeans, sunglasses, and hiking boots. Humphrey helped me up as Logan drew closer. As soon as he got close to me, Logan started patting roughly up and down my body.

I was about to hit him when he said, "I'm just checking for bites. There's nothing wrong with being extra sure." Okay, so he had a good reason, but that didn't mean I had to like it. He patted my shins, working his way up. After he got to my shoulders, he spun me around and worked in the opposite direction on my back. "You're clear." I already knew that! He motioned for Lilly to come over. She seemed even more uncomfortable with the treatment that I did. After he finished checking Lilly, he motioned for us to get in the car. I looked towards it and noticed it was a 2011 Ford Shelby GT-500. Those things are expensive! Anyway's he told us that we had to meet his uncle and Garth somewhere on the base.

We got into the car, and a few minutes down the road Logan took out his cell phone. He dialed a number and started speaking. "This is Golden Falcon, Operation Contagious Bite Failure. No known containment ops in effect. Authorize ZULU-ALPHA-SIERRA, I authenticate!" I didn't know what any of this meant, but it couldn't be good.

There was static and then a voice spoke up on the other end, "_You sure about this, boy? We'd be in some pretty deep shit if this is a false alarm."_

Logan spoke again, "The contageon is spreading to fast! There are reports of large groups of infected in cities across the globe. The contamination is escalating to fast for our government to contain."

_"God help us if your right. Activation will begin in a few moments. This will be country wide, so you might be hearing this until the generators die."_

A minute passed and nothing happened. I was suddenly blasted with a loud noise. The noise rose in pitch, then decreased and kept repeating the pattern. It was the civil defense siren, used only in a state of extreme crisis. We kept on driving, the wail of the sirens filling out ears. We had finally reached the base and saw nothing but the environment. There was nothing living or undead to be seen. We continued on our path to Logan's house. What we saw shocked us. On the front lawn we saw Logan's uncle lying in the grass, bleeding heavily from the shoulder. Garth was a few feet away pointing a gun at the uncle. There was a zombie corpes a few feet away. We exited the vehicle and approached. Garth saw Lilly and holstered the gun, running towards her. He trapped her in a bear hug, and they both enjoyed the embrace. I could see that much, but Logan went straight for his uncle. He knealt at his side, and they started talking.

I was only able to hear the later part of the conversation. Logan's uncle spoke, "Even with all the preperations, I was to be bitten by one of the infected... Here take this, you're going to need it." He handed Logan a small white plastic card. They exchanged a few more words before they both said their goodbyes, and Logan raised the barrel. I had never seen anyone with more remorse on their face than Logan did at that moment. Logan just walked over to the garage and opened it, revealing a large black S.U.V. He hopped into the driver's seat and backed the vehicle into the street. He motioned for us to get in. There were three rows of seats, and the back one could be folded down to make more space. Logan sat up front solo, Lilly and Garth had the middle seat, and Humphrey and I shared the back. Logan drove the vehicle down some back roads and we eventually got onto the freeway, which according to Logan was suprisingly clear. By the time we were on the freeway, it was night time. Humphrey and I folded down the back seat so we could lay down. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but I was still able to sleep. I fell asleep fearing what had yet to come.

* * *

><p>Wow... Over five thousand words... That is by far the longest chapter I have ever written. Yes, this is a long chapter, but don't be expecting chapters this long all the time. I rarely write anything this long. Anyways, review and what not. Ugh... where's my caffinated beverage...<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: The Lone Warrior

D-god: Hello readers. This chapter here was written by one of my co-authors, R0xas Alpha03-Vormund. Personally, I liked reading this. I hope you guys do too.

Some notes before we begin. First, I haven't gone too in-depth on Logan's past yet. I have his past thought out, and it will be explained later in the story.

Second, yes I did take some stuff from the zombie survival guide. I couldn't think of anything better to write down at the time, so I went with it. I'm not going to do it again, as I already put in everything I needed.

Third. Justnick, I see the sense in your comment about the NJ and the national guard, but you've gotta think. In an outbreak like this, the National guard would be spread too thin leaving most of the populace to fend for themselves.

Fourth and finally... Night howler wolf, you don't own the whole zombie thing. Someone is a bit egotistical. It's people like you that cause me to dislike the vast majority of the human race.

* * *

><p><em>I am a warrior. My heart is colder than the frozen wastelands of the Arctic, and my mind is faster than lightning...<em>

Or at least, that's what I tell myself every morning before I set out again. I am a black wolf with electric blue eyes, and my name _was_ Peter, but that was before I died on the inside. I had to kill one of my best friends, I had to send my family away from me, and then I sent my fiancee after them, just so that I could know that they were safe.

Before the zombie infestation began, I led a relatively normal life. My little sister and brother were both in high school and living with my parents out in some small town in the middle of nowhere, I was the singer for a nameless band that played at a different bar every week in Vegas, and I was engaged to the most beautiful wolf on the planet.

I thought that I had everything that I could ever need, but little did I know the tragedy that was about to befall me. I still remember the night that my life took a nosedive into the shithole that it is in now...

_I had just walked out of the Bottomless Glass Bar after finishing a little show for the patrons, when I heard gunshots in the distance. I turned to Josh, the drummer of our small group and scowled, "I told you not to pick any more bad neighborhoods." I growled at him._

_He raised his paws in defense and instinctively took a step back, "This isn't a bad neighborhood, man, I swear. Me and Rick checked this place out a week ago, right Ricky?"_

_Richard, better known as Rick nodded his head in agreement. He was our lead guitarist and had this uncanny ability to sense trouble almost a mile off. He bases his predictions upon a tingling feeling that he supposedly feels in his tail fur, and that made us skeptical at first. Once he stopped us from hopping in a cab that T-boned less than a block later, we immediately started paying attention whenever he would reach for the appendage._

_Alex, our man on keyboard, looked warily at Rick as his tail began to twitch. "Something wrong, Rick?" he asked._

_Rick shrugged, "I'm not sure. Something doesn't feel right, but I don't think that it is a serious problem." We all visibly relaxed at that.__ After all, his tail had never led us astray before._

_Josh reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, to which the rest of us rolled our eyes. He was the only one of us who smoked, and nobody else could stand to be near him when he did. Sure, we all drank a little every once in a while, but I personally figured that smoking would kill my voice._

_The boys, with the exception of Josh, and I had just hopped into our fair-sized VW van when my cellphone started to ring. I quickly checked the screen and, recognizing the number instantly, answered with "Hey honey."_

_Alex and Rick snickered and made kissy faces at me, to which I replied by flipping them off. This was obviously the wrong decision, because that sent them off howling with laughter._

_'_Yeesh, the guys are pushing 30, you'd think they would have grown up by now.' _I thought to myself as the voice on the other line came back with "Are you going to be home soon? It's pretty late."_

_I checked my watch, and sure enough, it was almost 1:30. "Yeah, Lauren. I'll be home in about an hour, 'cause I gotta drop the guys off at their place first."_

_On the other end, I heard a faint sigh, "Okay, but be careful. You know how the streets get after midnight, I don't want you to get in another accident."_

_I subconsciously ran my left paw over my shoulder, running my fingers over the tiny scars that came from me flying through a windshield after some drunk swung out in front of the van one night. I had swerved to avoid him, and ended up slamming into a light pole on the right front side. I managed to start the van and drive to the house that Lauren and I have lived in for almost 2 years, but Lauren went ballistic when she saw how bad I was injured._

_"I'll take the back roads, and I'll go slow." I promised her._

_"I love you, Petey." I inwardly cringed at her use of my pet name in the presence of my friends, but I kept it from entering my voice as I replied, "I love you too." and then proceeded to put my phone away._

_Before it could reach my pocket, Rick stiffened and all of his fur stood on end as if he had been struck by lightning. "We've got trouble, and it's close." he whispered._

_I reached into my boot and grabbed the large knife that I had stashed there. Alex grabbed a crowbar that I didn't know we had, and Rick grabbed a-hold of our tire iron. I slid open the door to the van and jumped out, ready to face anything._

_Anything, that is, except Josh's corpse. His abdomen had been ripped open, and it looked like something had **eaten** his inner organs. I almost threw up, but managed to keep it in._

_"What the hell happened here? He didn't scream, shout, and it don't look like he fought back either." I exclaimed._

_Rick shivered, though it was a warm night. "This looks like something mauled him, but what kind of monster would be able to do this without him making a sound?" Alex commented._

_I bent down to close Josh's eyes, but his paw shot out and grasped my left arm with almost enough force to break it. I yelled and instinctively lashed out with the knife, drawing the point of the blade across his throat._

_His arm immediately loosened its grip and I pulled mine free. Josh's body went into convulsions that were getting weaker by the second, the finally ceased and he lay still._

_I placed my knife back in its holster inside my boot before standing. Alex and Rick were looking at me like they were next on my hit-list, gripping their weapons so tight their arms were shaking. "You... you just killed him." Alex stammered._

_I shook my head, "No, he was already dead. He didn't have a pulse, I don't know what the hell that was." _

_The other two shrugged and lowered their weapons, just as my phone rang once again. I checked the screen before answering, "Hello?"_

_The voice on the other line was that of my mother, and it was filled with terror. "Oh, Peter. Thank God we were able to reach you. There was this weird announcement on the TV, it said that there were zombies popping up all over the place." While what she said seemed ludicrous, the incident with Josh's corpse made me a little more inclined to believe her._

_"Yeah, I think one of them got Josh. He was ripped open and still tried to attack me." I said calmly, trying to calm my mother down while also attempting to ease my own raging thoughts._

_"Oh, no!" she shrieked, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine, but Josh is definitely dead. Mom, you need to get the other two and Dad, get the guns from the safe, and get to the Headquarters."_

_She took many deep breaths before answering, "Okay, I will. What about you? Will you meet us there?"_

_I looked down at the ground, automatically thinking of Lauren. "No, not for a while. I have a few things to take care of here first."_

_"Be careful, and come home in one piece."_

_I hung up the phone and turned to my friends, "I have to go. You guys need to get to the nearest military post as soon as possible."_

_Rick nodded, "We will, don't you worry about us." I nodded and threw open the driver's door to the van._

_I waved to them in farewell before jumping in, starting the van, and driving off. I never saw either of them again..._

In less than 30 minutes, I had pulled up to the house I lived in with Lauren.

Lauren was a golden-brown she-wolf with striking blue eyes. She and I had been best friends since elementary school, and never did either of us think that we would eventually fall in love with each other.

During high-school, we both tried dating other wolves, but she apparently came to the same conclusion that I did; because I kept comparing every girl that I tried to date to her, and none of them could ever come close.

Though we never dated during high-school, everybody recognized us as a couple and left us to our own devices. She went off to college, majoring in chemical sciences, while I stayed at home to help out at the family business.

Lauren and I eventually met up with each other after she got her Master's degree, and decided to give a relationship a shot. We dated for a couple of years before she asked me to move in with her, a proposition to which I readily agreed. We had been living in our current home for just over a year before I proposed to her. She almost broke down in tears before saying that she would indeed marry me.

We hardly ever fought, and when we did, I always interrupted before either of us could start yelling at the other. A system that we had worked out since 3rd Grade, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide who was right, decided whether or not I slept on the couch after each fight. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough for me...

_I could automatically tell that she was home because of her coat hanging on the rack and a ruckus in the living room. I walked into the room to see that she was piling furniture against the windows, which made me realize that she had obviously heard the announcement on TV._

_She turned around just as I made my way towards her, rushed to me, and wrapped her arms around me in a crushing hug._

_She dug her head into my chest and whimpered, "I was so scared. The Installation called and said that one of their old experiments was getting worse. They said that they couldn't stop it."_

I suppose that I should mention that Lauren works for a Government installation that "doesn't exist" and does research on chemicals that could cure next to any disease.

_"So _that_ is the cause of all this 'zombie' stuff?" I asked._

_She nodded before quickly letting go. "They told me to lock the doors and block the windows. I grabbed the gun and hid in the closet for a while, but I heard some noises outside. I... I was afraid that they had gotten you." she sobbed before I pulled her into my arms again._

_"It's okay, nothing is going to get you. I'll protect you, don't worry."_

_We hid out in the house for a few days, once the electricity went out, I lost count of the hours. Our house, due to the military's never-ending paranoia on the part of their scientists, was situated in an easily defensible position._

_With a steep cliff to the south, a high electric fence to the east and west, and an open valley in the north, it was an easy matter to see any oncoming foe from the second floor. I found myself looking to the east and west since the electricity was out at the house, it was likely that it was also out for the fences._

_A slight rumbling drew me out of my thoughts one day. I pricked my ears and immediately looked up at the top of the cliff, where I spotted several wolf-shaped figures. I couldn't tell if they were friendlies or not, but I wasn't going to take any chances, especially with Lauren._

_I dashed back into the house and grabbed my custom katana off the wall, attaching it to my left hip. I ran into the room where Lauren had been sleeping earlier and called out her name. When she came out of the dark room, I grabbed her by the paw and pulled her in the direction of the garage. "We've gotta get out of here." I explained when she tried to resist, "I saw some movement on the cliff, we aren't safe anymore."_

_I opened the door leading to the garage, and there was a crash on the second floor, as if somebody had fallen through the roof. "They're here, we've gotta go now!" I yelled and hurriedly pushed Lauren into the Hummer that the military had given me as incentive to keep Lauren's job secret from everybody else. I needed no more incentive that for her to ask me not to tell, but the Hummer didn't hurt either._

_She stopped just as she grabbed the keys and turned to me, "What about the Installation? They might have finished the antidote." I thought about it for half-a-second before shaking my head._

_"No, we can't risk it. That place may be crawling with these things."_

_She started to get out, "But if I could get a-hold of it, I could mass-produce it, and we could fix this." I pushed her back into the Hummer and closed the door, speaking through the window._

_"I'll go get it, you make your way to my parents, okay? They should already be at the Headquarters by the time you get there. They will protect you."_

_She shook her head, "Why can't I come too?"_

_I looked at her forlornly, "Because if it is crawling with those... things, I can defend myself. I can't worry about you and fight off an unending horde on my own." I turned around to the sound of a body falling down the staircase. "Go now. I'll meet you there, okay?"_

_She nodded with tears in her eyes, started the Hummer, and drove straight through the aluminum sliding door. I hopped in my Jeep and started it, putting my katana in the passenger seat. I started it and drove through the same hole that Lauren had made, and turned in the opposite direction that she had gone. I looked in the mirror and watched as her dust trail shrunk as we went our separate ways, not even knowing if I would ever see her again..._

So now, here I am. Three months later and hundreds of enemies slain.

I had taken to calling them "zombies" because that is what they resembled. They moved with a lurching gait, were usually covered in blood, and always made this moaning sound.

I had definitely put my kenjutsu to the test as I fought for survival, using my custom-forged katana to decapitate any zombie that came near me. When it was normally drawn, it looked like I was holding two katanas in one hand, but I could separate the handle so that I could hold one blade in each hand. The blades could also be put at opposite angles to each other to form a dual-bladed weapon that was better used whenever I entered a store to find food and found myself surrounded.

I had just finished cleaning out a Wal-Mart, and was hiding in a tire-cage in the automotive service-bay when I thought I heard voices. I put my bag of chips inside a tire and grabbed the hilt of my katana, drawing it slowly and silently.

I then left the cage and climbed on top of the nearest rack of tires, ready to knock them down if the voices turned out to be a threat. As the voices grew steadily nearer, no doubt following my scent, or my trail of headless foes, I pulled up the hood of a jacket that I had found in a black Camaro that I had "borrowed".

The guy who must have originally owned it was a huge fan of something called "Organization 13" and apparently, they wore these cool, black cloaks. I found one in the trunk, and was delighted to see that it fit me. I stepped back into the shadows, letting my dark fur and black cloak camouflage me against the black rubber around me.

I intentionally banged the hilt of my katana against the supports for the rack, causing a loud, reverberating "clang" to resound through the entire store. I heard the voices cease, and could faintly pick out soft footsteps heading in my direction.

A gun barrel peeked around the corner, followed by a large, light-furred wolf. I pulled my lips back into a snarl and released a low growl that echoed through the service-bay. The figure stopped moving and spoke over his right shoulder, "It's clear, this one is alive."

A gray wolf, a nearly white-furred she-wolf, and a large, red-furred wolf followed him into the room.

The white male wolf turned his head back to the opening and whispered, "It's okay, you can come in now." I was about to growl again, but stopped short when I saw the new arrival.

She looked exactly like Lauren, though her face was hidden one of her paws covering her nose to keep out the smell of blood. I saw the gray wolf wrap the newcomer in a hug, and couldn't resist growling quickly and loudly in displeasure.

They immediately broke apart and the female looked in the general direction of where I was hiding. I automatically knew that if it came to a fight, I could not escape. I may have had the element of surprise and home-field advantage, but it was one against five, and they all had guns.

The light wolf, who I pegged as the leader of this group, spoke out in a loud voice, "Who goes there?"

I was about to answer, but something stopped me. It made me think back to all that has happened to me recently, and I realized that I was not the same person I used to be.

"You may call me Trepex. Now that I have answered _your_ question, who are you ?"

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><p>D-God: That's all for now. I'll start on the next chapter as soon as I can. And don't forget to review, it keeps my depressed spirits up.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: A long way down

**Storylover Alpha 01** **-Dux Ducis:** So, where are we again?

**Dragongod957-Jager:** I believe that we are picking up where R0xas left off with that last chapter.

**Storylover Alpha 01 -Dux Ducis:** Ah. So, is there going to be blood this time?

**Dragongod957-Jager:** More than likely.

**Commentaholic: **Hey guys.

**Storylover Alpha 01 -Dux Ducis: **What's up Comment?

**Commentaholic: **Just checking up on the story. So what's going on?

**Dragongod957-Jager: **I just started writing the next chapter... *Conversation draws off into the distance*

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><p><strong>Kate's PoV<strong>

I felt myself being dragged into conciousness by what I thought to be morning. I rolled over, not quite ready to wake. I was about to fall asleep when a sudden thunderclap jolted me upright. I looked around and waited for my vision to be cleared of my grogginess. When I could see I was displeased to find that it was still somewhat dark. I looked to my watch and it read that it was only 6:38 AM. I heard the sound of rain, but it wasn't the usual shower that rarely showed up. From the sound of things, it seemed to be a torrential downpour. I stood up, and started walking around holding my gun at the ready.

After we had found Trepex in the tire cage, Logan decided we would be staying the night in the Wal-Mart. He said something about not wanting to be wandering around in the dark. When we came here Logan had left the S.U.V. near the city limits saying that it was best to continue on foot. Now I am stumbling through the darkness of a half-destroyed Wal-Mart without a light source, and only a few rounds of ammunition left. I progressed slowly being careful not to slip on any of the water that was pouring through some of the busted sky-lights. I froze when I heard a metallic clang nearby. _'Did any of the undead manage to find their way in here during the night?' _I took some deep breathes in an attempt to calm my nerves, and stepped from behind the display rack expecting the worst.

When I stepped around the corner I raised my weapon, preparing to kill a member of the undead. I lowered my Sig Sauer when I relized it was only Logan. Logan was standing over by the gun display table, barely illuminated by a cheap halloween glow-stick. I approached him as I holstered my gun, and found that he was loading several clips with 9X19mm Parabellum rounds. I grabbed a box of ammo of the shelf and started copying Logan's course of action. When I had loaded three out of five of my fifteen round clips, I decided to talk.

"Where is everyone," I asked in a curious tone.

"I sent Lilly, Trepex, and Humphrey to gather some essential supplies, and Garth is keeping an eye out for any possible threats." Logan didn't seem to be in the mood for a conversation, so I stayed quiet. When I finished loading my mags my attention drifted up to the shelves behind me. The shelves had been completely purged of any weaponry that may have once sat there. The only things to remain were several boxes of various ammos. I sat down and propped myself up against the shelf. Logan walked off leaving me to my own devices. Logan's footsteps soon disappeared with a slight echo as the distance increased.

I drew my knees up to my chest trying to conserve my warmth, the dankness and cold creeping through my fur and chilling me to the core. I relized I was completely alone. Alone in the dank darkness, my only illumination being a cheap glowstick. These cirrcumstances seemed to make everything more bleak. I felt tears drippind down my face as I remembered everything that has happened so far. I had lost my home, both my parents are dead, the world has come to an end, and there is nothing I can do about it. I didn't like any of this. Having to be on the run, fearing a gruesome death at the hands of one of those undead monsters! Having to live with the fear of what would happen if my sister or Humphrey was infected, or if I was infected and they couldn't work up the courage to kill me. I had never felt this helpless in my life. I let the tears flow, not caring if anyone saw. I stayed like that, unmoving for what seemed like hours.

After awhile I had finally calmed down, although I was still quietly sobbing. I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I slowly looked up only to see Logan. I looked back down and noticed he was holding something out to me. I accepted what he was holding and he sat down against the display case. I examined what I was given. It was a standard turkey and cheese sandwich wrapped in saran wrap, a small package of kettle baked lays, and a plain Hershey's chocolate bar. I looked over to Logan, and saw that he was already tearing into a sandwhich of his own. I carefully unwrapped the sandwich and bit into it. It was bland, as all sandwiches of the kind are, but it was a welcome addition to my stomach. After I had finished the sandwich I quickly moved onto the chips which were labeled as _Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper_ flavor.

I quickly finished the small bag of chips and continued to the candy bar. There wasn't anything special about it. It was just a regular ol' Hershey's bar. No dark, milk, or mint chocolate. Just straight chocolate. I carefully tore open the wrappen and tossed a square into my mouth. I rolled it around letting it melt, and relaxed as it's sweet taste calmed my fried nerves. I looked over at Logan who was snacking on a small bag of Gummy Worms. Somehow he seemed completely at ease, like none of this apocalypse shit ever happened. It didn't even appear that he remembered killing his uncle. The level of calmness in which he displayed was unnatural. I thought back to when Logan executed his uncle. I was broadsided by one realization. Logan doesn't hesitate to kill. Sure, he might feel remorse or some kind of regret afterwards, but the bottom line was that he would kill you without a second thought. It was all evident in the way he pulls the trigger.

My thoughts were interupted by the sound of several boot heels thudding against the floor. I turned to see Trepex, Humphrey, and Lilly approaching us. They were carrying large brown bags of what I was going to guess were supplies. We immediatly started packing the supplies. Trepex decided to speak up.

"Look what I found," he said reaching into his jacket. He produced a gun that looked similar to my own. Only difference was that it's sights were different and the muzzle bore looked a bit larger. "I snagged it off the corpse of some F.B.I. agent."

This got Logan's attention almost immediatly, "Looks like the Sig Sauer P-two-two-nine. If memory serves correct, that particular weapon is chambered for the forty caliber Smith & Wesson round." Trepex nodded in aggreement, and Logan dirrected him to a box of the specified cartridge. We continued packing the supplies into the already bulky backpacks. When I had completed my task I moved to where Humphrey was sitting. I nuzzled up next to him trying to share my warmth while he returned the action. We sat like that trying to relax. If we listened closely we could hear the soft click of Trepex loading his weapon. Humphrey hadn't talked much since we escaped from the base, which was unusual. _These past few days must have been really hard on him._ I wrapped my arms around him trying to give Humphrey some comfort, but I was interrupted by the sound of boot heels thudding urgently on the floor. As I turned my head Garth zipped around the corner, skidding to a stop a few feet away.

Panting from physical exertion he said, "We have... A problem." This got Logan's attention immediatly.

"What problem," Logan responded in a deadly serious tone.

Garth, recovering from his sprint answered, "There is a group of people heading here. I counted fifteen of them, and they all have guns."

Garth's newsflash tossed everyone into silence. I looked over to Logan. As I gazed at him he grasped his jaw looking pensive, his tail idly swinging from side to side. Everyone stared at the thoughtful wolf hoping he would come up with something. Trepex came back around the corner releasing the slide of his new-found gun. The sound of the slide locking into place appeared to have jolted Logan from his thoughts.

"Hmm... We don't know if they're hostile. Our best bet is to run and hide. If what Garth said is true, then we don't stand a chance in a fire fight." Humphrey started to interupt, but Logan cut him off. "Kate and I are the only ones here that actually know how to wield a gun. I have yet to see any of you actually raise a weapon to a zombie, so I don't know how much talent you possess."

Trepex spoke up, "I see what you're saying. It makes sense, but what do we do?"

"First, we hide our gear in one of the many safes around here. Then we head up to the roof and wait for them to leave." No one questioned his plan. "Well, let's get movin'!"

We immediatly set ourselves to finding a gunsafe large enough to stow all our gear in. There was a wide selection sure, but few were actually big enough. We were looking for a few minutes before Humphrey called our attention to a large safe tucked away in the shadows. Lucky for us the combo was taped to the front of it. Logan input the code and the safe swung open without a sound. It was a tight fit, but we managed to close the safe with our belongings crammed inside. A loud clang from the front of the store froze us with fear and surprise. Logan motioned us with a wave of his hand to follow him. We followed him, and he was leading us to a stairwell.

We went through the stairwell doorway. The door had been blown of it's hinges by something. When we all entered the stairwell I looked up and found something that sank my spirits. Half of all the stairs were destroyed. What remained were piles of debris with a mangled jungle of rebar and conrete that lie overhead. We had to go up three stories, but we couldn't for the stairs are now impassable. Logan looked up and sighed.

"Well, let's get climbing" Logan walked up the first flight of stairs and looked around. After standing still for a matter of seconds Logan ran up the wall. In the moment where he began to loose momentum he kicked against a pipe that was jutting out from the wall. Logan flew through the air and managed to grab hold of half destroyed landing. After pulling himself up Logan motioned for us to follow.

"Looks easy enough," Trepex muttered. Trepex immediatly followed Logan's example and was up in seconds. Humphrey and Garth went ahead of me, both of them straining to pull themselves up and over the decimated ledge. I walked up to the pipe and prepared to run up the wall. I ran up and I was immediatly met with that weightless feeling you get while riding rollercoasters. Feeling myself start to drop I jammed my foot into the pipe and launched myself to the ledge. After I pulled myself up I helped Lilly climb up. It went on like this for the next ten minutes.

We were on the final landing. One more jump and we would reach the door to the rooftop. I was panting quietly. The physical exertion needed to get up here was immense. I looked down to where Lilly was preparing to jump. She was on the floor below us and was about to make the leap that would bring her up here. She was going to have to get a good running start and manage to vault on to the bent railing of the landing. From there she would use her forward momentum and the bent railing to jump up and meet the crumbling ledge on which I stood. It was a feat I barely managed. Lilly started running at the rail and leaped on to it. Pushing off with all her might, she launched up towards me. Her mask of concentration immediatly turned to a face of panic.

_'She's not going to make it!'_ I layed down on the ledge and stuck my arm out. I just barely managed to grasp Lilly's hand an began to pull her up. When I managed to get into a kneeling position there was a dull '_Crack'_. For a moment I felt nothing beneath my foot, and the next I was starting to keel forward. I let out a startled gasp as I gazed straight at the ground that lied thirty or so feet below. As we fell, Lilly's hand slipped out of mine. My luck worsened as I fell closer to the sides of the stairwell. I closed my eyes when I saw what was coming next. A block of solid concrete that was part of the stairs that connected the first floor to the second. There was the expected thud as I slammed into the block head first.

As I hit the ground, my head rolled to one side. What I saw would have shocked me if I wasn't so close to unconsciousness. Lilly was lying a few feet away, eyes closed and out cold. What caught my attention was the jagged rod of iron jutting out from her abdomen and the flower of blood spreading from it. _Lilly had impaled herself on piece of rebar. _I couldn't tell where exactly the rebar pierced her, but from what I could tell it was going through her spleen. An organ that likes to bleed... alot. Darkness enveloped me as I fell into unconciousness. I fell with the certainty that my sister was a gonner.

**Humphrey's PoV**

I stood there looking down at Kate from my spot on the ledge. I watched as Kate's eyes close, and I just stood there staring. Logan was leaning over a section of railing, peering down at the two bodies that lay below.

"Oh no," Logan muttered in a forlorn fashion. I turned back to the girls and pulled back as I saw someone's silhouette walk through the doorway.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Everyone backed up against the wall at hearing the new male voice. "Looks like a couple of _'Survivalists'_." The voice chuckled as another entered.

"Hmm... We should tell Derek about this. I think he might enjoy these two '_recruits'_." The owner of the second voice walked away and I heard some muffled yelling through the wall. The first voice spoke up again.

"Uh oh... Looks like one of them has some health issues." I wondered what he was talking about, but I didn't dare peek over the edge for fear of detection. "You might want to fetch Payton while you're at it." I heard the yelling once more followed by a plethura of footfalls. I obviously didn't know who this Payton guy was, or what was wrong with Lilly and Kate. I looked to my left and saw Logan and Trepex drop down and crawl to the edge of our platform. Garth and I copied their actions and peeked over the ledge. There was only one concious wolf below us. A male with considerable bulk carrying a large belt-fed weapon. I started searching Kate and Lilly for any kind of damage. I squinted, the darkness of the unlighted stairwell making the task difficult. I finally found what Logan and the brute below had seen. I circular length of metal was protruding from Lilly's lower abdomen. Her shirt was stained red around the offending object, and a small puddle of her blood was beginning to from to her right.

Seven other wolves flooded into the stairwell. I heard some of them gasp as they looked at Lilly. One of the wolves took a step towards Lilly, and knelt at her side.

"Oh my... This will be tricky indeed," spoke the wolf. From the sound of his voice, he was diffinitely male.

"So what can you do, Payton," a larger male wolf spoke in a mocking tone. "Will you be able to save this bitch's life?" I felt Garth shaking in anger next to me. I turned my attention back to the wolf who I now know as Payton. Payton was a white wolf similar in size and build to Logan. I noticed a sheath hanging from Payton's hip and two others worn by two other wolves. Payton's looked to be a simple midieval longsword. One of the other two had a sword similar to it. He was a dark gray wolf wearing glasses, while the other, a dull brown wolf, carried a rapier. I looked on as Payton started probing the area around the wound. These actions elicited some barely audible whines and whimpers from Lilly. "Hmm... It seems that she is still somewhat concious. Probably just hanging by a thread."

"Just tell us if she's going to live or not," Derek growled at Payton. Payton continued to probe the wound despite Lilly's complaints.

After a minute he spoke, "Honestly, I don't know. I can't _feel_ any signs of severe internal damage." Payton took a moment to think. "I need to see _inside_ the wound to determine if it tore through any organs, and to assess the overall damage and treatment neccessary to heal her." There was a moment of silence as Payton stood. "Well, You going to help me move her or not?" The two other sword wielding wolves took up positions around Lilly. With a heave they started to lift the barely-concious Lilly off of the spike that pierced her body.

Almost as soon as the process had started Lilly let out an ear piercing scream. The shear agony that was contained in the foul shriek made my blood run cold. The wolves continued to lift her away from the bloodied metal until she came away from it completely. They set Lilly on the ground and she started panting, trying to recover from the blinding pain she had just expierienced. Payton once again knelt at her side and began inspecting the wound. After a few moments of inspection Payton let out a sigh.

"She is very lucky lady. The rebar tore clean through her leaving little to no damage to the surrounding organs. That length of iron missed her spleen by a hairs breadth." Payton reached into his pocket and pulled out a test tude with what appeared to be a white piece of chalk contained within it. He removed the chalk from the tube and jammed it into the wound. Lilly gritted her teeth as the object was plunged into her. Payton waited a few moments before removing the chalk. "That should keep her from bleeding out until we get back to the camp. There I can close and disinfect the wound." Payton stood up while two other wolves heaped Kate and Lilly over their shoulders.

"Gather up the others. We have to get out of here before the smell of fresh blood attracts a horde of zombies," cautioned Derek. We watched as the group left, leaving nothing behind but thier footprints. We waited for what seemed like forever listening for the dull sounds of footsteps. Once Logan declared that the coast was clear we carefully descended to the ground below. We gathered our gear and set about planning our next course of action. We waited in near silence. Garth sat up against a display rack, looking utterly miserable. Logan and Trepex were a few feet away trying to formulate a plan on how to get Kate and Lilly back, while I stood near our gear contributing to nothin. I scowled feel a river of red hot rage boiling up inside me. Rage dirrected at Logan.

_"This is all his fault," I thought. "If we hadn't scaled that stairwell, Kate and Lilly would be okay, and we would still be in a group!"_ My rage continued to rise within me. Without even thinking I strolled over to where Trepex and Logan were standing. They didn't even recognize my presense. Before I could restrain my emotions, I cocked my fist back and let fly at Logan's jaw. My balled fist connected solidly with Logan's snout, and forced his head to crack wildly to the left. The air fell thick in a shocked and restrained silence. Logan slowly turned his head to face me. His face was emotionless, but his eyes betrayed a terrifying wall of rage that appeared to be half restrained. I brought my fist back once more. I launced my fist forward, but was shocked when my arm was stopped in it's tracks.

Logan had caught my fist, gripping tightly in his own. He slowly began to twist my hand counter-clockwise forcing me to bend with it. He stopped twisting and slugged me in the gut, forcing my breath out of me. I dropped to the ground trying to catch my lost breath. When I tried to stand once more, I felt the sole of Logan's leather boots press against my back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Logan asked, his voice dripping with venom. I tried looking up at him, but that only caused the boot to press down harder, forcing me to the floor. "Well!"

"This is all your fault!" I continued yelling my previous thoughts at him.

Logan spoke calmly, but anger was evident in his voice. "It is not my fault. We were forced into that situation. Now, unless you're going to help us come up with a plan, go stay in the corner and behave yourself" I scowled at that comment. He was talking to me as if I was a child. I felt the pressure of the boot lift from my back, and I stood up. "You going to help us or not?" I merely nodded. Logan continued, "Good. Now here's the plan so far..."

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><p>Well, that's it for this chapter. I was planning on it being longer, but this story hasn't been updated in awhile. Plus, this is the best stop point I could think of. Anyways, read and review, yadda yadda yadda.<p>

On a side note... If anyone is interested, join the **_Brotherhood of the Pen_**. You can find a link to our forum where you can apply for membership.


	4. Chapter 4: Emotional Shock

Now for part two of the previous chapter.

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><p><strong>Lilly's PoV<strong>

I woke to the sound of crashing thunder. I slowly opened my eyes to see the ground, and felt a constant, smooth undulation as the ground rolled by beneath me. I relized that I was being carried, draped over someone's shoulder like a rolled up rug. A sharp pain in my abdomen garnered my attention. It felt like there was a rat gnawing away at my entrails, and the already intense pain increased with each beat of my heart. I tried to turn and face my escort, but the effort sent of pulse of pain through my body causing me to whimper and grit my teeth in an effort to lessen the pain. This brought the attention of the person carrying me.

"Oh, so you're awake," the wolf sounded. His voice designated him as a male. I didn't respond as the pain was still had me grinding my teeth to powder. The wolf continued, "I wouldn't move around to much if I were you. You have a pretty nasty injury in your side." I tried to look, but I was rewarded with another burst of tear jerking pain.

When the pain subsided I asked, "Who are you?"

The wolf was silent for a moment. "Me? The name's Lyranos." I pondered the name. It was wierd, but I've heard wierder. I remained silent as Lyranos' pace increased. I grimaced as cold rain started pouring down on me, and a stiff wind howled into existence. Lyranos spoke again, but not to me, "Hey Payton, this one's awake."

Another male wolf spoke up, "Really? That's a good sign. At least she hasn't suffered a concusion." I flinched as a white wolf stepped into view, my movment bringing forth more pain. I shot him a questioning look as to why I was in pain. He answered, "Try not to move. You fell on a piece of rebar and impaled yourself." There was silence as I let this news sink in. The wind continued to grow in strength, and the rain stung my back like a hundred chilled needles.

We continued to walk through the worsening weather. I heard the ripping sound of velcro, and the flapping of thick cloth in the wind. The pounding of rain on my back ceased and was replaced by a low, rumbling, roar as the rain descended upon the canvas of a tent. Lyranos set me on the ground and went to stand by the wall of the ten foot by ten foot olive canvas camp.

Lyranos was a dull gray wolf that was tall in stature, five ten, maybe six foot. It was hard to tell from my position. He had an average level of muscularity. Lyranos was wearing glasses, and at any one time one of his eyes didn't seem focused. A longsword with wolf head engravings on the pommel and crossgaurd hung at his hip. He was wearing a black cap, black fingerless gloves, a brown jacket with white undershirt, blue jeans, and brown treaded cross trainers.

I looked over to where Payton was rummaging through a first-aid kit. Payton was wearing a dark green shirt, a dark water resistant jacket, blue jeans, and black hiking boots. The longsword that hung at his hip seemed fairly simple in design. Adorned with a polished curved cross-guard, a one-and-a-half hand handle, and polished silver pommel, it was a masterfully crafted weapon. Payton stopped sifting through the bag, and walked over to me carrying an armfull of medical tools. Another wolf walked into the tent, bearing Kate upon his shoulders.

The new arrival was dark brown in color, and had medium length hair. He wore a grey shirt, green camoflauge jeans, and hiking boots. There was a thin bladed sword with an intricate hand gaurd hanging at his side. _Why are so many people carrying swords?_

"Is she awake yet, Gordon," inquired Payton. The brown wolf, who I relized owned the alias Gordon, set Kate down a few feet to my left.

"Unfortunately not," spoke Gordon. The tent went quiet as the wind picked up outside, sending the canvas into a seizure of billowing cloth. Payton knelt down next to me, and produced a needle and small bottle of clear liquid. He pierced the cap of the container with the needle and began extracting the clear fluid. When the syringe filled to a certain point he withdrew the poker, and started to prep my arm. I began to protest, but Payton silenced me.

"Trust me. You're going to want to be unconcious for this." I stopped struggling and held out my arm once more. I winced as the cold steel sank beneath the surface of my skin. My arm quickly went numb, and not moments later my mind began to cloud. The world moved in shifting, colorful patterns, and my senses started to dull. As my vision started to flicker I heard Lyranos speak up.

"Let us hope that circumstances permit them to escape the fate that Derek has planned for them..." The last coherent thought on my mind before I blacked out was _What's he talking about?_

**Humphrey's PoV**

We were standing out in the rain, the wind whipping our faces like a merciless carriage coach. It had been several hours since Kate and Lilly had been abducted, and the sky had started to darken as the sun continued it's arc behind the translucent veil of rain bearing clouds. The rain poured down on us by the gallon, like someone was spraying us with a high-pressure hose from above. We had all opted to take a mottled green-brown, water repelant poncho as a counter-measure to the rain. Logan and Trepex sat kneeling over a set of tracks some five yards away, while Garth and I were keeping watch for zombies and any other _unpleasant_ surprises.

I walked over to where Logan and Trepex were and stared at the footprints in the water-logged mud. From Logan's earlier observations I learned that Garth had miscounted the numbers of thr troupe that captured Kate and Lilly. Turns out that there are only eight wolves instead of the original fifteen. We were 4 miles south of the city limit, and five miles north-west of where Logan hid the S.U.V. It was frustrating me that we were just sitting here in the rain waiting for Logan to stare at footprints, all the while the other group could be doing anything to Kate and Lilly. I was about to let my rage loose, but stopped myself. My stomach was still sore from my previous outburst.

"Hmm..." Logan mumbled, "That can't be good." I gave him a questioning look even though he couldn't see it. Logan continued, "We know that they still have Kate and Lilly with them, that's for sure. What troubles me though is this." Logan pointed to a section of the mud that seemed to have had something dragged through it. I found two other tracks similar to the drag mark. Trepex cut me off before I could ask what they were.

"Zombies..." Trepex looked solemn, his hood hiding most of his face. "Looks like there's five of them." I looked around, but couldn't find any other zombie tracks.

"I only see three sets of tracks," I stated, puzzled. Logan gestured to two other tracks that looked like all the other footprints.

"See how the front of those tracks are scuffed like the foot was dragged?" I nodded. "That, combined with the uneven distance between prints, makes for the awkward shambling gaite of a zombie."

Garth walked over to where we were, "Two walkers, three crawlers." Logan nodded in agreement. Logan and Trepex stood up and started to follow the tracks once more. We followed them like lost pups.

_"Lost pups in a zombie infested wasteland,"_ I thought grimly as the wind continued to howl.

_**2 Hours** **Later**_

We had traveled another few miles, finding five zombie corpses along the way, and finally came across the kidnappers' encampment. My feet had begun to ache, but I dared not complain. Not this close to the enemy. We had just arrived near the camp, and were hiding behind the cover of a bank of boulder some forty feet away from the edge of camp. We were taking a brief reprieve from standing and were sitting, or rather kneeling, in the mud. Logan was talking to us about what we were supposed to do.

"As we all know, they could be hostile. This could be a close range fight, so melee weapons could be usefull. Are you all packing?" Trepex gestured towards his sword, and Garth produced a buck knife I didn't even know he carried. I on the other hand, had nothing but my glock. Logan sighed and started digging around in his pack. After a minute of searching he finally brought out two objects, one of which he tossed to me. "Don't loose that. It's the only spare I've got."

I was holding a nine inch leather sheath with another two and a half inches of steel protruding from it. I unbuttoned the fasten of the sheath, and drew out the blade. The grip was just ebony yarn-like cord wrapped around a portion of the steel, and the cord was wrapped so tightly that it moved about as much as a sleeping elephant. Just below the hilt was a small inset compass that was carved into the thin length of steel. At the bottom of the length of steel there was a section where rope could be inserted for precise cutting. There was no crossguard, just a small nub that marked where the cord should stop.

The blade's spine was only about a sixteenth of an inch thick, and the side marked it as seven eigths of an inch wide. The blade itself was seven inches long. Unlike most combat knives it didn't follow the Bowie Blade pattern. The blade was completely straight, save for where the shorter side of the blade slanted up at a forty-five degree angle to meet the opposit side in a fine, sharp point. The length of steel was a polished midnight black, but the cutting edge of the blade shown like shining silver. There was an inscription engraved into one side of the blade.

It read '_**Losbi** **Cholah'.**_

It was obvious that this weapon was made by a master bladesmith. I looked over to Logan who was holding a similar weapon. The only difference on that one was the engraving.

_**'Nashoba Ishtishko,'** _is what was inscribed. I had no idea what the inscriptions meant, but I stayed quiet and copied Logan's action of clipping the sheath onto our belts.

Logan spoke again, "Trepex and I are going to sneak around and thin 'em out a bit." Shortly afterward Logan and Trepex departed into the shadows of the almost compete darkness. The only available light now was the campfire in the encampment. Garth and I waited for a few minutes, the wind breezing by lazily. After what seemed like forever, we heard a loud yell. Our curiosity getting the better of us, we peeked over the rocks. What we saw shocked both of us, and sent us into a boiling rage.

**Lilly's PoV**

_**Ten minutes earlier**_

When I awakened from my drug induced slumber I found that my wound had been sewn shut, cauterized, and salved. It no longer hurt unless I twisted in an awkward fashion. I relized that Kate was lying awake next to me. She didn't seem shocked, or afraid as one in our positions should be. She seemed to know exactly what was happening. I was about to speak when she motioned for me to be quiet. I listened and found what she had heard.

_Footsteps..._

A couple of brutes stormed into the tent, hefted us over their shoulders, and carried us to what I was guessing to be the middle of the camp. We were stood up on opposite sides of a large woof beam that stood straight up. Before I could react my arms were yanked up over my head and, my hands were being bound in a fashion where the rope restrained one wrist, looped around the beam once, crossed itself, and restrained the other hand. I couldn't see it, but I could tell that Kate was being strung up in the same manner. We both protested loudly.

"What the hell is going on here," Kate yelled obviously pissed. The group around us fell silent as a blue furred wolf aproached us. I remembered him to be Derek, someone I had heard, but never seen. Somehow I knew it was him, and I didn't like him one bit. I noticed that the rain had stopped completely, and the wind died down to a dull whisper. Derek cupped his hand under my chin and around my cheek, forcing me to look him in the eye. After a few moments of contemplation, he finally spoke.

"Oh we are going to have some fun!" My heart sank as I relized what his intention were, and I could feel Kate start struggling even harder than before. A well of anger rose inside me, and I did something I would never regret. I opened my mouth and closed my jaws around the pervert's thumb. The metallic taste of blood coated my tongue as my razor sharp teeth sheared through skin and muscle, and chipped bone. Derek slammed his other fist into my face in a desperate attempt to force me to release my grip. When he finally managed to wrench his hand free, he stumble away holding onto his hand. He removed his cupped hand to get a look at the damage I caused. His face turned palid as he relized what I had done. I bit his thumb off.

I felt the severed digit resting upon my tongue, leaking away the meager fluid it contained. To add insult to injury I chewed on the thumb, savoring the sound of bones and thumb joints snapping, and spit the mangled piece of flesh onto the ground in front of me. Derek face went from white to firestation red in an instant.

He yelled, "Teach them a lesson they won't forget! Especially the white one!" I winced as the people began to close in on us, and began hammering us with fists, and bruising us with kicks. Amid the fracus I spotted Payton, Lyranos, and Gordon staring at the situation with disdane. I know that their stares weren't directed at me, but at the people who were beating us.

I glimpsed something as a fist flashed past my eye. I managed to find it again, and the sight gave me hope to escape the pummling. Logan was creeping towards the camp, holding his glock in one hand, and a knife pressed against the grip of the gun in the other. I looked in the opposite direction, and saw Trepex drawing his sword. As I turned my head once more I glimpsed Garth and Humphrey running towards us at full tilt uttering a loud battle cry.

The beatings stopped instantly as they turned to face the new combatants. Payton, Lyranos, and Gordon drew their swords and dashed at Trepex. The others split themselves between Logan, Humphrey, and Garth. Humphrey drew a knife on the fucker who tried to fight him bare handed. Humphrey hacked and slashed occasionally drawing blood, while his opponent kept dodgind. He sustained many cuts, but none that were immediately threatning.

Trepex had split his sword in two and was somehow fending off all three of his attackers. He dodged, blocked, and swung the twin lengths of steel he held at his opponents. He was extremely skilled with a sword, but his enemies were too as they blocked his blows as easily as he blocked theirs. The ring of steel on steel filled the air. An abominable, high pitched clashing that made my ears ring.

Garth had managed to pin one of the guys who clocked me in the face, and was beating the shit out of him. Garth kept swinging at the man with all he had. Blood was gushing from the man's face as he tried to fight back, but it was useless. Garth kept pound the man's body until he passed into the unknown beyond life.

Logan was dealing with the last two people. One of them dove behind the cover of a rock as Logan loosed to rounds at him. The shots glance off the rock causing no harm. Logan glanced at me, and noticed my bindings. He fired another shot at the rock, and held his knife up in my direction.

_'He wouldn't...',_ I thought. Logan started to draw back his arm. _'No, no, no, no. Please don't throw it!' _My silent pleas were ignored as Logan's arm snapped forward and let fly. The knife whistled through the air as it tumbled towards me. I closed my eyes and scruntched up as much as I could, preparing for the inevitable feeling of the knife drilling through my flesh. The feeling never came, only a sharp thud and my hands being tugged slightly. I slowly looked up to find the the knife had passed through my restraints! I immediatly started trying to pry the blade away from the wood so I could start on Kate's restraints.

After I freed Kate, she went to help Logan deal with the last of those fuckers. I started to think, _'Wait... Wheres-' _I didn't get to finish my thought as a sucker punch sent me sprawling in the mud. I looked up and saw Derek with a crazed look in his eye. He brought his boot up to stomp on me, but I rolled out of the way. I managed to stand again. I started a brawl with Derek. Every punch and kick I threw at him had about as much effect as a wet paper bag. His punches on the other hand felt like cannonballs. I started to feel my fatigue setting in, weighing my limbs down like blocks of molten silver. As I barely dodged another blow, something in me clicked.

Strength rushed back into my limbs, and it felt as if I wasn't in control of my own body. Everything took on a level of surrealness that made everything feel like a dream. I felt my self draw the knife from my pocket, and dodged a few more blows, Derek seeming unnaturally slow. In slow motion I watched as I slashed an I into his abdomen. The top of the I beggining under his ribs, and the bottom ending just above his groin. As his innards started to spill out, I raised my knife hand and thrus forward, driving all me weight into the blow. The knife sank through his neck cleanly, and out the other side leaving my hand _inside_ his neck. He grasped my arm and watched as his life fluid drained out of his neck and down my arm. I stood unmoving watching as the red liquid ran down my arm and soaked my white shirt. The blood spread from my sleave, to my shoulder, and patially over my right breast. My fur along with my shirt was stained by the blood of an enemy.

I withdrew my hand from the bastard's neck and watched as he fell and his internall organ sloshed out of his gut. An overwhelming feeling of grief and remorse filled me as the full realization of what I had done hit me. _'I just killed another wolf. I took someone else's life in my own interest!'_ The feeling became to great, and I just collapsed on the spot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Logan smash in the skull of his adversary. I don't remember much after that because I blacked out. From what I could gather, Payton, Lyranos, and Gordon decided to join our group of survivalists. It didn't make much sense to me, but I'm not complaining.

I woke up in the back seat of the S.U.V. I looked out the window and saw everyone gathered around a small fire. I also saw Trepex's black Camaro. I noticed that we were camped next to a creek, and looked down at my blood stained clothes and fur. I numbly got out and headed to the creek ignoring everyone's questions. I quickly sank into the cold water, enjoying how it stung my skin. I immediatly started to wash away the blood.

When I was finished washing I walked back to the S.U.V. for some sleep. As I climbed in I noticed something under the seat. I pulled it out and discovered that it was a laptop. I contemplated opening it, but thought it an intrest for another time. I laid down and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

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><p>Whoo! This chapter is finally finished!<p>

There are two questions that I would like to quiz you readers with.

1. What do the two inscriptions mean? I know the answer _AND_ the language they are in. I can safely bet that none of you can figure it out.

2. What do you think the laptop has to do with anything? As before, I know the answer.

Anyways, happy thanks giving everyone!


	5. Chapter 5: That's my car!

Haven't updated anything in awhile... Anyways, this chapter was written by Roxas 666. Enjoy.

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><p>It was already the morning after Logan, Humphrey, Garth and I had rescued Kate and Lilly, but I was still feeling the adrenaline. As I absentmindedly twirled my blade, which was attached in its double-blade form(Think of a weapon like Darth Maul's or Gabranth's, for you FF fans), I looked to where the three wolves I had fought the previous night were sleeping. Despite knowing that they were allies, I still felt the urge to eviscerate them. Maybe it was my pride, as those three are the only ones to have faced me in <em>true<em> combat and lived, or maybe it was the fact that they had tried to kill me just as I had tried to kill them last night.

I furrowed my brow, which opened up the gash on my face again. One of them had managed to get in a lucky strike with a knife, and it cut from an inch above my right eye to almost an inch below my left, right through the bridge of my nose. It wasn't deep, but I had yet to properly clean it, and there was a good chance of it scarring. I sighed and separated my blade, connecting it back into its original form and sheathing it. I pulled a handkerchief out of one of my pockets and pushed it against the cut until it stopped bleeding. I quickly folded it back up and replaced it.

I crossed my arms over my chest, careful to avoid the lumps on either side. While raiding the camp after the fight, I found another Sig-Sauer P-229 in one of the weapon's crates. Since my cloak had two chest pockets, I decided to store them there for comfort and ease of use.

It was almost dawn, so I fixed one last glare upon the three new arrivals, and clapped my hands loudly a few times. Logan and Kate were up instantly, with Humphrey and Garth soon after. Lilly stirred when Garth got up, but did not awake. Lyranos, Gordon, and Payton took their sweet time in getting out of bed, a sight to which I scowled. _"My opinion of them was low enough already, but THIS is ridiculous! They seem to be more of a liability than anything else.'_

I quickly walked over to where Logan and Garth were standing and spoke deliberately, "I don't trust them."

Garth shrugged, while Logan simply said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." I snorted,

"By that logic, the zombies were my allies last night. I had them completely at my mercy!" I growled, "Why did you stop me from killing them?"

Logan fixed me with a hard stare, "We will need as much help as we can get if we are to find a safe place to hold out. They can help with scouting and can even assist Lilly until she gets better. Like it or not, they _are_ a part of our group, and I will not turn them out in a wild place with an undetermined number of enemies." I decided to let the matter go with a long sigh. I was tired and irritable, and fighting would do nothing but attract unwanted attention.

"How is she?" I asked, turning to Garth.

"She is still in shock, though I think she is getting better. It _was _her first kill, after all." Logan and I nodded in understanding, a first kill is never easy. I found myself lost in thought about my first kill, my friend Josh. As much as I hated his smoking habit, no one deserves to become one of _those_.

"Someone needs to talk to her." Logan said, "Someone other than you, Garth." I rolled my eyes,

"Let me guess, you don't want either yourself, Humphrey, or Garth to be seen as killers, so you are going to leave the load on my shoulders." At Logan's silence, I knew I was right. I nodded before yawning, "I will speak with her after I rest. Those three," I gestured at the new additions, who were talking quietly amongst themselves, "Had better not mess with my car, or I really will kill them."

With that said, I jumped up and hauled myself up the nearest tree branch. I climbed until the shadows completely obscured me from sight, but still low enough to hear and see everything around me. I sat down in a fork jutting out from a thick branch and rested my back against a trunk, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep. After a couple close calls, I had learned to be a _very_ light sleeper, so I awoke as I felt some heavy vibrations through the tree. I looked down to see Kate starting to climb the tree.

"What is it?" I asked, not unkindly.

"Logan sent me to wake you up." she responded, having stopped and stood on the first branch. As I looked down, I was reminded of Lauren, _'Their fur-color, their attitude, hell, even their smiles are the same.'_ I quickly shook the thought out of my head, but not before it soured the good mood I had woken up with.

"Very well." I responded, stretching my arms and legs to the side. I slid off the branch and landed on one a few feet down. I walked out as far as I dared before jumping the remaining few feet to the ground, landing in a crouch. Kate landed not long after me, a few feet to my right, though she did not crouch. I flipped my hood over my head, my primary defense against my emotions. I figured that if nobody could see my face, they could not read my features. I followed Kate into the clearing where my Camaro and the SUV were parked next to each other.

There was a small fire, which was being used to heat something that looked like Spam, where everybody else was sitting around. Kate quickly went to sit beside Humphrey, who smiled at her presence. Payton, Lyranos, and Gordon were sitting slightly separate from the rest of the group, yet still close enough to be considered a "part" of it. Lilly was nowhere to be found, but Garth kept looking anxiously at the back of the SUV, so I figured that was her present location. I looked again at Kate and Humphrey, who were now snuggled up to one another. They looked so much like Lauren and I had in our second year that I couldn't help but smile. Then reality hit, and my smile was transformed into a snarl.

All because of the government's obsessiveness over the mythical "super-soldier," couples, families, and friends were all torn apart. I wouldn't be surprised if the infection had claimed the majority of the world by now. I shook that train of thought out of my head and moved over to Logan.

"Anything?" I questioned. He shook his head, but pointed towards a silver rectangle and a bottle of water. I clapped him on the shoulder as I walked towards the package. I eagerly tore into the MRE, it tasting much better than stale potato chips. _'I will never understand why people hate MREs.' _It seemed that most of the group wouldn't touch them unless there was no other choice. _'Oh well, more for me, I suppose.'_ After finishing my food and water and burying the waste, I came back to the camp. Nobody was doing much of anything, but Logan turned his gaze from me to the SUV and back again. I rolled my eyes even though I knew he could not see it, and changed my course.

Looking through the heavily tinted windshield, I could tell that Lilly was not in any of the seats. I moved to the back of the vehicle and rapped my leather-clad knuckles across the sheet of steel where there would normally be a window on a regular SUV. _'What's the point of the metal plates instead of windows? You can't see a blasted thing.' _I waited for a few moments for Lilly to open the door and was about to knock again when it opened. When I looked at Lilly, her eyes reminded me of a druggie's. They were bloodshot, and it looked as if she hadn't gotten much sleep lately, though none of this was surprising.

I pulled my hood back, "Can I come in?" She didn't respond, but left the door open and moved closer to the rear seats. I heaved myself into the back of the vehicle, leaving the back door open just a crack to let the air circulate while still giving a sense of privacy. "How did it feel?" I asked bluntly. She gave me a look of disgusted despair, but didn't say a word. "That bad, huh?" I commented. When she continued to remain silent, I spoke again. "Your friends are concerned for you, specifically your mate and sister." She blushed slightly at my comment, the first emotional reaction I had managed to gleam from her features. "While I realize that it is less than twenty-four hours since the deed," I said, "It has been deemed necessary for me to inspect your mental state." She looked slightly surprised, and I chalked up a mental win at being able to bring her out of her shell, even if only a little bit. "So, to skip the psychological crap, how are you feeling?" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and looked as if she were going to refuse to answer, when she began to whisper.

"I was scared, I-I didn't mean to." Seeing that she was nearing the point of tears, I stepped in.

"Nobody's blaming you for anything. You did the right thing..." I was suddenly cut off.

"H-how can you say that?" Lilly asked with barely contained terror. I quickly decided between truth and what she wanted to hear, and chose a happy medium.

"He was going to kill you, and everyone else was occupied. If you had shown mercy on him, I doubt he would return the favor. I've killed a lot of people like that before, though most of them were in the midst of their 'turning.' The world has changed, girl, mercy is not something that can be afforded, let alone something to be given. If you want to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, you are going to have to kill again." Her eyes were wide with disbelief and fear.

"How do you do it?" she asked. I smiled despite myself, her innocence reminded me of a young child before the virus spread.

"It takes a long time before it gets any easier, but it will in time. My first kill devastated me, because it was a close friend of mine. At the moment, it didn't bother me as much as it should have, but for the next few days, I had to convince myself that he was already dead and it made no difference." She shivered at the thought of having to kill one of her friends, and I instinctively reached out my hand to place on her shoulder before I caught myself and instead held out a blanket that say by my side.

"Thanks, Trepex." she said. I nodded and moved to the exit, calling over my shoulder quietly, "Nobody is asking you to get over it overnight, but being with friends will probably help."

I opened the door and jumped out, leaving Lilly to her thoughts. I made my way to Logan and Garth, who fixed me with expecting looks. "Let her come out on her own, it will be better if she does this when she is ready." I replied. "I am going to train, though we should get moving soon." Logan nodded, and I walked off to practice with my katanas in the woods. Despite how long I had the weapons, I still fumbled when changing the form every once in a while. The kata I had formed with my weapons was specifically built for the swords I used, and I offhandedly wondered what I would do if one or both of them broke or were lost.

Draw-slash, split, X-slash, spin, two horizontal slashes, dual-form, figure-eight, split, X-slash, re-connect, sheath. I took a deep breath and froze as I caught the metallic scent of fresh blood. Pulling both pistols from their holsters and flipping my hood up, I made my way cautiously towards the source of the scent. Not even a full minute of sneaking later, I came upon a slight incline with decent-sized bushes on it. I could hear a slight groaning sound coming from a ways past the other side, so I slowed down and used the bushes for cover as I continued to climb the hill. When I reached the top and knelt down, I saw a network of small caves in a canyon wall. _'Who would have thought this was here? A good place to hide, if you ask me.'_

I heard the moaning sound again, and figured that it was coming from the caves. _'Shit, no way to tell how many there are if they are in the caves. I could probably go in and look, but I could be ambushed on my way out, and I won't let that happen.'_ Caught up with my thoughts as I was, I didn't notice the figure creeping up on me until it was almost too late. I heard a rustle behind me and whipped around while clicking the safety off my guns. I was met with the face of Humphrey, and jumped back in surprise. "For the love of Fenrir, Humphrey!" I whispered angrily. He began to laugh at my reaction, which caused the groaning to cease. Once the other noise stopped, and I turned around in apprehension, Humphrey stopped laughing and looked at me.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked quietly. My eyes were trained on the cave openings when I heard the barely audible sound of stones clattering in the canyon. Humphrey heard it to, for he trained his ears on the canyon, and our eyes both shot wide open when the first creature emerged from one of the caves. I set my left pistol in an outside pocket and laid my right pistol over my left arm to steady my aim, I was going to splatter this thing's brain over the rocks.

Humphrey gasped, "Are you nuts? You kill one, and every zombie for miles will be swarming over this place in minutes!"

I flashed him a glare, "That is precisely my point. We need to be moving anyway, and I need to blow off some steam. You inform Logan of our 'infestation,' I will be back soon." With that, I fired. After the first round, I quickly emptied both of my clips, fending off the horde emerging from the caves. I reloaded, but holstered my pistols. I drew my blade and set to work again, with a wicked smile on my face. Just as I came within melee range of the first zombie, I heard the telltale sound of my jet-black 1985 Camaro starting up.

"Oh, hell no!" I shouted, as I cleared the immediate area around me. I re-sheathed my sword and drew my pistols again, accurately picking the zombies off as I made my way back to camp. "Nobody drives my car but me!" I emptied the clips again and slipped in my last pair. Quickly debating emptying them too, I instead turned tail and fled back to the camp. The SUV was also running, and had Payton, Lyranos, and Gordon clambering into it. "Who the hell messed with my car?" I shouted as I came into the clearing, my hood having come down from running.

Logan chose this moment to stick his head out of my passenger window, "That would be me, come on, let's go." I growled extremely loudly, but dashed to the driver's door. I unbelted my sword and laid it carefully in the backseat. Sliding into the driver's seat, I noticed that Logan was yelling something to Garth, who was driving the SUV.

He turned to me, "You are leading us, we need to head southeast."

I nodded briskly, "You'd better buckle up," I said as I fastened my own seat belt, "I'm not used to having passengers." I revved the engine twice before putting it in gear and tearing out of the campsite like a bat out of hell.


End file.
